{"id":2419,"date":"2020-01-21T10:00:47","date_gmt":"2020-01-21T10:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/3.232.143.211\/?p=2419"},"modified":"2020-01-21T13:15:20","modified_gmt":"2020-01-21T13:15:20","slug":"open-presentation-surefire-attention-grabbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.getswitchedon.com\/index.php\/2020\/01\/21\/open-presentation-surefire-attention-grabbers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Open a Presentation: 4 Surefire Attention-Grabbers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"toc-box\">\n<h2>How to open a presentation<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Start with a statistic.<\/li>\n<li>Share a relevant story or picture.<\/li>\n<li>Ask a question.<\/li>\n<li>Elevator pitch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Opening a presentation is like fishing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You need a hook.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Relying on the standard \u201cGood morning\u201d to grab your audience\u2019s attention is like attempting to reel in a seven-pound bass with a straight pin at the end of your line.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not going to happen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These aren\u2019t any better:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHi, my name is\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cGosh, I\u2019m so nervous!\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019m so excited to be here!\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cUm, should we get started?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Here\u2019s how to open a presentation with a hook that grabs your audience \u2013 whether you\u2019re speaking to a crowd, a small group, con-call or one-on-one \u2013 and keeps them tuned in and energized the whole time.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to open a presentation<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s your guide to creating a powerful opening to your speech.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Start with a statistic\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Right off the bat, hit the audience with an interesting statistic that will make them think, surprise them or that will give them a good laugh.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Share a relevant story or picture<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Often, I\u2019ll share a picture of me when I was 10 years old.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I played football and we won the championship that year, and you can tell that we&#8217;re all very excited to have been champions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I tell a story about that and it hooks people. Then, I go right into my presentation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s an effective way to get the audience on board from the start. Begin with an important date<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and talk about what happened that day and why it stands out. Start with the situation that was \u201cnormal\u201d before it all changed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Ask a question<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But not just any question.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You want to ask a question that gets the audience to tap into an emotion, an experience or a decision that they\u2019ve had to make.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use the questions to help your audience recognize what it is they really need \u2013 their pain point.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some examples of how to open a presentation with questions that are sure to spark thinking and grab attention:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When was the last time you\u2026?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have you ever experienced\u2026?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When your friends did&#8230;what did you do?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Imagine living in a world where\u2026. What would that look like?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where were you when\u2026?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If I told you\u2026, would you believe me?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Feel free to get creative and craft the questions to your topic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/resources.getswitchedon.com\/meeting-planner-mistakes-avoid\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2180\" src=\"http:\/\/3.232.143.211\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Chip_Event_CTA_Inline-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Elevator pitch<\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"toc-box\">\n<h2>What is an elevator pitch?<\/h2>\n<p>A brief description of your product, an idea, your company, or your unique selling proposition (USP) explained in a way that is easily and quickly understandable to listeners.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, talking with a large group is going to be different than making a presentation to a smaller group or just talking with a prospect one-on-one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do you say when someone asks you what you do? It\u2019s boring to say \u201cI sell X,\u201d or \u201cI do Y.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make it interesting so they want to know more and find out how you do it. What problem do you solve?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some examples of different types of presentations you may be making:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Job interview.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sales meeting.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Presentation to a large group.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Auto service business \u2013 could be 1:1.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sales presentation with a customer to move them to action.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you are speaking to one person or a few people, find out about them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make your opening statements address the issues they\u2019re having and then offer your solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Practice makes perfect<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2421\" src=\"http:\/\/3.232.143.211\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image2.png\" alt=\"Jim Rohn quote \" width=\"524\" height=\"243\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coaches use game film to catch mistakes and create strategies to get better. They also videotape the umpires\/officials for the same reason. In your hand, you have the most underused training tool at your disposal \u2013 your phone has a voice and video recorder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can record your presentations, phone calls, training sessions, sales meetings and customer presentations. When doing a customer presentation, simply say, \u201cI\u2019m always trying to get better and make sure I\u2019m listening effectively and telling our story well. Would you mind if I record this today?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Very few will say no!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Record yourself \u2013 whether large, small or one-on-one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get some game film of yourself and use it to learn and get better. When you do it consistently, it will take your performance to the next level<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Better openings, better results<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re talking to a group of hundreds or you\u2019re meeting with a committee of three people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The important thing is that you know how to open a presentation in a way that grabs the listeners\u2019 attention, energizes them and spurs them to action.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start with an interesting statistic, share a relevant story or a picture, ask a question, or put your elevator pitch into action.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider recording yourself doing your thing so you can work on improving, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get the big fish with the right hook.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/resources.getswitchedon.com\/meeting-planner-mistakes-avoid\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2175\" src=\"http:\/\/3.232.143.211\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Chip_Event_CTA_Blog-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"250\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to open a presentation Start with a statistic. Share a relevant story or picture. Ask a question. Elevator pitch.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motivation","category-personal-growth","category-written-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.getswitchedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.getswitchedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.getswitchedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.getswitchedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.getswitchedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2419"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.getswitchedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2422,"href":"https:\/\/blog.getswitchedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419\/revisions\/2422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.getswitchedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.getswitchedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.getswitchedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.getswitchedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}